


A Hero's Tale

by orphan_account



Category: The Derp Crew (Youtube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Anthony wakes up in a fantasy world and a new identity he sets off to travel back to his own world. On his journey Anthony discovers that going back is easier said than done, especially when there is a cult of demon controlling Warlocks planning to destroy the world. His only chance at getting back home is to make allies with the fallen heroes of this world and destroy the Warlocks once and for all. But these fallen heroes have their own demons that must be vanquished. Can Anthony save these new friends from themselves and the dying world? Will Anthony ever be able to get back home?





	1. Chapter 1

Anthony’s peaceful sleep was interrupted by the sound of loud, drunken laughter. Something made out of glass broken downstairs, more laughter erupting from the damage. He groaned, rolling onto his stomach and hiding his head underneath a pillow. Anthony gave up trying to sleep after a few minutes and sat up instead, sleeping staring at the door in front of him. Placing both feet on the ground, Anthony stumbling to the bathroom with a spinning head as the bedsheet trailed after him. When he reached the bathroom he began splashing his face with water and the bedsheet that got caught in the door fell off his bare torso. He wiped the mirror on the wall and peering into his reflection, shocked at what he saw.

“This… has to be a dream, right?” Anthony kept asking himself this question over and over again, having a staring contest with himself in the mirror. His pointy ears flicked with each sound that came from downstairs, shoulder long hair frizzy from the constant tossing and turning, brown eyes a bit rounder than normal. He took a couple of steps forward and dipped his hands into the basin. With water dripping from his cupped hands, he splashed his face and glanced at the mirror once again. The same eyes stared back and the same ears twitched. Anthony refused to believe that this is real and continuously began splashing his face with water. He only stopped when his wrist started to burn, water splashing on the wooden floorboards and Anthony’s his mouth opened in a silent scream.

On his wrist was what appeared to be a tattoo of an eye, glowing a bright blue color. Some blood rolled down his wrist from the tattoo that was burning him. When Anthony lowered his wrist the glow began to dim and the pain subsided temporarily, but when he raised his arm towards the mirror it returned. Making sure his wrist was directed downwards, he stumbled back into the room he came from and took a good look around. Everything was modeled after medieval times and there was no light except the window, a melted candle by his bedside. Hanging off the bedpost was some plate armor, sparkling in the cold sunlight from outside. The door leading inside his room started being banged on, Anthony now facing the door as water rolled down his chin.

“Anthony, open up!” A gruff voice sounded from the other side, Anthony’s long ears picking up some other hushed voices. The tattoo on his arm was now burning him again, glowing brighter than the sun outside.

“Can’t a man change?” Anthony called back, slipping on a tunic and some muddy boots that were tossed by the window. He grabbed a leather bag and started to pack the armor inside, reaching for a sword that was by the door. The people outside started to bang on the door again, Anthony unable to get the sword in time. He rushed to the window and took the hatch off, lifting the glass plane up. The door was knocked from its hinges and three men wearing hoods walked in just in time to watch Anthony jump through the window. He landed roughly on a dirt path and started to run, taking in everything he saw. Cobblestone and brick houses with candles for light, women wearing puffy dresses and men wearing armor or tunics, horses, and wagons filled with hay being used for transportation, and he even ran passed a lizard man- or woman he couldn’t tell with all those scales. 

Behind him, he could hear the men shouting his name, Anthony picking up speed. He ran straight into a crowd of townsfolk, pushing through the standing people. Anthony used the crowd to his advantage and tried to blend in, ears lowerings themselves and he used his hands to shield his face. The men ran straight past without searching the crowd. Glad to have lost them, Anthony turned to try leaving only to stop when the crowd began cheering and closed in around him. On a podium was a man in all green holding up a bow.

“The beast of this land will bring us no more trouble! Tomorrow when the sun has risen my hunting party and I will set off to end this man-killing beast!” The crowd cheered in agreement, Anthony covering his sensitive ears from the noise. He saw the man on the podium notice him, the two making brief eye contact that was broke when a man wearing a brown hat walked in front of Anthony with his hand raised up in the air. At his side was a white wolf with gold eyes, sitting patiently on the dirt. Anthony took a step back, worried that the animal might attack him. The wolf turned its head to look at him, barked, and looked forward again. His tail even began wagging when the hat wearing man pet the wolf. “Yes, you with the raised hand. Speak!”

“What beast are you speaking of? I’ve been through these forests multiple times and never have I seen a ‘beast.’ The most I’ve seen are wolves, but those would not cause us much trouble.” The stranger tightened his grip on the bow.

“Oh, but there is a beast, I tell you!” A chubby man behind the leader spoke up, climbing onto the podium with slight trouble. “With beady red eyes and teeth that can tear apart any flesh! It stands taller than an elf and even has claws! I’ve seen it, I tell you!” Some of the children in the crowd began to cry in fear, clinging to their mother’s dress. Anthony took this argument as a chance to leave. He kept walking until he found a small purple tent with moon and sun patterns at the top.

“Do you seek aid, lost one?” Anthony glanced around to see who was talking “Come in, come in,” listening to the old voice, Anthony kneeled down and crawled into the small tent. In the middle sat a crystal ball with a toad sitting on top, lazily blinking one eye and the other eye was looking upwards. Anthony shimmied forward, having to get on his knees so that he didn’t hit his head. “Sit, sit closer,” the toad sounded like an old lady. Anthony scooted closer, sitting on the other side of the crystal ball. “What is this on your wrist? Show me, show me,” he hesitated but lifted his arm up. The old lady toad leaned forward on the crystal ball and eyed the tattoo, moving backward and groggily croaking. The crystal ball began to glow on cue. “You, do not come from this world. I see this now, yes.”

“Where am I?” Anthony glanced around the dark tent, the crystal ball catching his attention when it began glowing. On the crystal ball was his real face, staring back into his face. “How?”

“Yes, you are human. You come from a world far from ours yes,” the crystal ball began to change colors and Anthony was able to see what appeared to be an abandoned tower surrounded by dying trees, ravens flying at the top. “Your arrival here was no coincidence. It was your destiny,” the toad croaked and the ball flashed a dark red. A roar erupted from the crystal ball and a wolf appeared from the tower, fitting the appearance of the beast. “You must slay the beast and save the one inside, lost one,” a blue glowing sword came into view and the wolf was struck down, a vision of Anthony standing over his kill.

“A damsel in distress.” Anthony joked, the toad eyeing him blankly. He watched the crystal ball fall loose its color and fall dull. His attention was returned to the talking toad. “Where do I find this tower? I don’t even know who, where or what I am.”

“You are Lord Chilladin, a High Elven General of Ismerea. The one in the tower will aid you in your quest to return home. To find the one in the tower you must go North until you reach Raven’s Crest. Once there you must go West and there you will find the Dark Forest where the beast will lie. You must hurry before the hunters go and kill the beast. You must be the one to slay the beast.” The toad hopped past Anthony and the silk curtain lifted up on its own.

“What about this tattoo? Why does it hurt me? How did those people know my name?” Anthony crawled over to the toad who eyed him irritably.

“For a human, you ask many questions,” Anthony glared at the insult. “The tattoo is a gift from the gods. It will alert you when danger is nearby. As for that last question, I do not know the answer and you must discover that for yourself. Now, go before the Warlocks come back. Good luck.” Anthony crawled out from the tent and turned around to ask another question, but the tent was gone with no trace. He opened his bag and was surprised to see that the armor in his bag had changed and there was a blue bladed sword there now, odd symbols running down the sword’s hilt. A wagon began to pass by Anthony and he rushed towards it, grabbing the back and hopping in to land on the hay. Facing the sky, Anthony closed his eyes and counted to ten in hopes he’d wake up. When he reopened his eyes he was still lying on a pile of hay. Sighing, Anthony closed his eyes again and, without meaning to, drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Anthony awoke from his much-needed sleep something began squeaking into his ear. He rolled over to find a multicolored bird looking at him, head turned and eyes big. The bird opened its beak and began to screech right in his face, flying off before he could react. Anthony sat up and began to wipe his face to properly wake himself up, strands of dirty hair slipping into his face. He pushed back the strands and glanced around the forest he had taken shelter in. The bushes birthed white flowers that were still beginning to bloom, bees waiting for the flower to fully bloom so they could pollinate. Birds flew around overhead and the willow tree he was sitting under swayed in the cool breeze, long purple leaves chiming whenever they hit each other.

He started rolling his arm in circles, feeling the stiff shoulder muscles strain against his neck. After being dumped off the night before by the wagon driver, he began traveling North to Raven’s Crest and fell asleep under a willow tree earlier that morning to rest his weary muscles. Because of this, his muscles were sore and Anthony made a mental note to never sleep in his armor again. The sky above was a dark blue when he began traveling again, the sun already beginning to set and he could see two moons rising from the mountains ahead. When Anthony reached the entrance to another half of the forest the sun was long gone, two moons side by side in the sky. Through the dark blanket, stars came out to play, circling around the moons and making their presence known. He wondered if one of those stars was Earth. 

Anthony ignored the thought and cut his way through the forest, mushrooms glowing purple and yellow to make a path through the maze. He made sure not to step on any of the forest creatures, watching for the horned squirrels and large toothed rabbits that skittered on by. There was even a couple deer that grazed by, green designs in their long legs and twisting antlers on their heads. A raven flew past his head, cawing loudly and when Anthony hopped over a dead log he reached his destination. He walked onto a dirt road that led off two different ways, a rickety pole with signs in the middle. Ravens flew in circles overhead, cawing loudly and even attacking each other in midair. Anthony noticed that the signs directed travelers to two different towns; Torine and Grimsby. Ignoring the signs, Anthony started walking West just like the old toad said.

“Find the Dark Forest, kill the beast, save the damsel.” He repeated to himself out loud, kicking a stone along his way down the road for entertainment. A raven dipped down and cawed when it passed, Anthony covering his sensitive ears that lowered themselves. Anthony found out earlier that his ears seemed to have a mind of their own, picking up noises that normal ears wouldn’t be able to pick up. He had also noticed that he had a wider field of vision that the normal eye did, seeing things faster and farther away than someone else could. What Anthony couldn’t understand was his long hair that was now being lifted up and moving along the night breeze, strands tickling his neck. He made another mental note to get his hair cut or tied up whenever he got the chance.

A patch of flowers made giggling noises when he passed, their transparent leaves turning a bashful pink and stems tangling around each other. Leaves that hung from trees chimed like bells, warm to the touch and smelled of vanilla. There were no more glowing mushrooms, but instead, the bush shadows were illuminated. It wasn’t long until the scenery changed, trees dying out and flowers wilting. The grass below his boots changed to rock, rough and rumbling where he stepped. An enormous rock gorge blocked his path, reaching up until the moonlight blinded his eyes. Following the dirt road that began to fade out into the rock gorge, Anthony started shimming through a thin gap and kept his eyes looking forward. He ignored the rumbling above and threat of falling rocks and kept on moving. When the path opened up he stumbled forward, rushing down a steep hill and stopping abruptly when he almost tripped over a log.

The valley he walked into was a dying swamp, a smell of dead animals lining the valley. Pinching his nose to block the rancid scent, Anthony crept through the swamp that mocked his arrival. There were a few ponds he passed, frogs jumping through the thick water and reeds growing from the mud below. Dying willows swayed in the breeze, tangled leaves slapping his face and smearing dirty liquid onto his cheeks and forehead. The swamp began to open up and Anthony knew he reached his final destination when he found a large tower constructed of stone bricks. It stood half a mile away, weeds and vines curling around the circular post and trees growing around to prevent entry. Anthony began to pick up speed, rushing towards the tower and wiping his face along the way. He got stopped when something wrapped itself around both his ankles, tripping him. 

His body was tugged backward, Anthony hitting the ground roughly and all oxygen was forcefully pushed from his lungs. Thorns dug through his boots and began cutting into his skin, Anthony screaming in pain. He was being led towards what appeared to be a twenty feet tall venus fly trap, black liquid oozing out of its mouth that broke open and more vines extended to try and grab him. Anthony picked up his dropped sword and tried to slice the vines only to fail each time, the vines dodging his every attack. Another vine made contact and wrapped itself around his sword wielding wrist, the thorns cutting into his skin and forcing him to drop the sword. His body was lifted up into the air, Anthony being lowered into it’s widely opened mouth. But then it stopped. The grip around his ankles and wrist were loosened, Anthony dumped onto the ground that seemed to try sucking him in.  An arm wrapped itself around his waist and shoulders, slowly lifting his body up.

The person who had saved Anthony was yelling to the venus fly trap in a scolding voice. He noticed Anthony’s wounds and his green eyes flooded with worry, fingers tangling themselves in Anthony’s shirt as he struggled to keep his grip on the taller elf. Anthony felt tired, lungs burning and the world spinning. When he tried walking Anthony screamed, the pain in his ankles shooting through his legs and preventing his ability to walk.

“Shit, hang on I got you,” the man’s voice was laced in concern, arm dropping from his waist to under his knees. Anthony allowed this stranger to awkwardly carry him to a rock, setting him down on top. He began shuffling through his pockets, crunching leaves together and picking some blades of grass from the ground. “I need you to take off your boots. This will temporarily numb the pain so that when I get you to the tower I can work on making something stronger,” he spat into the odd mixture and rubbed his hands together, Anthony painfully following orders. The salve was rubbed onto his bleeding ankles and his boots were slipped on again. He was leaning on the man for support, arm loosely hanging around his waist. “I’m sorry about that, he isn’t very courteous to visitors. Last time a visitor came he ate the poor man’s horse. I’m glad I saw you coming in or else you could be in his digestive system.” Anthony began tuning out his rambles, too weak and hungry to really focus on anything. He didn’t even notice when they reached the tower, the man setting him down on a bed.

“Ha…” Anthony chuckled, coughing and wincing when the numbing salve began wearing off. Through fluttering eyelids he watched the cloaked man rummage through his unorganized cabinets, throwing leaves and herbs into a small bowl. He rushed over and kneeled next to Anthony, grabbing his wrist and cursing when he noticed that there was a black liquid mixing with the blood. “Damsel… In distress… My ass.”

“Hang on, one of the vine’s thorns broke into your skin and you got some poison in you,” Anthony was shocked when he felt his wrist get flipped over, the man leaning down and placing his lips over to wound. He began removing the thorn the hard way, spitting the broken thorn on the floorboards along with some of the liquid. The liquid began to sizzle on the wood, leaving a burn mark as it evaporated. Anthony watched the curly hair brunette lean back on the floorboards, wiping his mouth to remove any remaining blood and brows furrowing in disgust. “There we go, now,” his words trailed off on their own, salve being applied to the bleeding wound. Bandages were added after and Anthony closed his eyes, too dizzy to keep his eyes open any longer. “How is that?”

“Am… I gonna die?” Anthony mumbled, smiling a little when he heard the man chuckle. His boots were once again removed and he felt the salve being applied to his ankles.

“No, but I do suggest you do not travel with these wounds. If you overexert yourself then you will need more than some herbs. You can stay here until the wounds begin to properly heal on their own, but if you must leave I suggest you rest here tonight and leave in the morning.” The man set Anthony’s feet down and the elf opened his eyes. His dizziness had subsided and his energy began to slowly restore itself.

“What’s your name? You oddly remind of my buddy Steven,” a weak chuckle slipped from his lips, Anthony lying there on the feathery bed. A hand lifted into the air, being waved around and Anthony chuckled again. “He always did enjoy nature too, you know. Preferred space, but it’s all the same.”

“My name is Ze. What is your name?” Ze’s voice came from further back in the room, Anthony hearing the rummaging of cabinets again.

“I don’t even know anymore. One day my name is Anthony, another day my name is Lord Chilladin or some bullshit, and now today my name will be on a gravestone,” this made Ze laugh some more. “I came here because some old lady sounding toad told me to kill a beast, save some damsel, and all my questions will be answered-” Anthony stopped talking when Ze dropped something. “Is everything alright?”

“Uh, yes. Sorry about that, but back to the topic at hand. I’m guessing you are not from around here? The name ’Steven’ is not a common name around here,” Ze cleared his throat and his voice got a bit louder. “You have the appearance of a High Elf, but you do not speak like one nor speak in Elvish. Are you a half-breed?”

“I’m a human- not like you human, but human nonetheless,” without even opening his eyes Anthony could tell Ze was confused, the herbalist falling silent at his words. Anthony opened his eyes some and began watching Ze, noticing how tense the brunette was as he pulled things out of his cabinets. “I literally just woke up here two days again and two things have already tried killing me; Warlocks and a venus fly trap. The toad told me to come here and now I really don’t know where I should go. At this point, all I want to do is go home.”

“And where is your home?” Ze walked over to Anthony with a wine bottle and plate containing food, Anthony taking the meal and eyeing the food suspiciously. It was just some sliced bread and cheese- no fancy dinner guest meal, but for Anthony, it was good enough. He began to dig in, Ze sitting down next to him on the bed.

“Earth. I think it’s another planet or some different reality. I don’t know anymore. You probably think I’m crazy.” Anthony popped the cork off the wine bottle and began drinking the red liquid. He had never been a wine type of person, but for some reason the wine didn’t taste like dirt.

“No, I believe you,” the shorter man lifted his legs up from the floor and stretched, rubbing his arm and looking away. “I’ve seen enough things and met enough people to understand when someone is lying and when someone is genuinely telling the truth,” Anthony slowed his eating down, ears flickering when something outside let out a low howl. “Damn werewolves. I told them not to come here. Those things always bring bad company…” Ze huffed, getting up and closing the window to block out the painful sounding noise.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Ze grabbed a stray cup on the counter and Anthony poured him a drink. He fluffed up a pillow and sat on the bed again, pillow on his lap and cup in his hand.

“I’m not the type to let an injured person die out in my backyard,” he smiled and took a sip from his cup, Anthony self-consciously wiping his face to rid himself of any crumbs. “I should have a few spare blankets and pillows downstairs for you to sleep with so I’ll go get those for you.” Changing the topic, Ze got up from the bed and lowered his hand down to help Anthony up. He took the shorter man’s hand and allowed himself to be lifted up. Using Ze’s shoulder for support, Anthony began limping away from the bed and plopped himself down onto a thin couch. The herbalist, glad to finally have some company, blew out the candles and began to walk downstairs.

“Hey, Ze?” Anthony could see the other’s green eyes in the dark room, rolling onto his side to see them better and smiling at the familiarity. “Thanks.” He watched Ze walk down the stairs, rolling back onto his back and sighing heavily. That’s when Anthony remembered to remove his armor, the heavy metal making a pile on the floor next to him. Snuggling further down the couch so that the lower half of his legs were hanging off and his head was on the armrest, Anthony closed his eyes and let his stiff muscles relax. When Ze came back upstairs Anthony had fallen asleep, arm dangling off the couch and mouth open in a soft snore. He walked over and lifted Anthony’s head up, pillow slipped underneath and blanket draped over his body. That’s when Ze saw the tattoo on Anthony’s wrist that was directed South, glowing a dull blue.


	3. Chapter 3

Anthony groaned when thin rays of sunlight began to dance along his closed eyelids. He stretched and rolled onto his back, opening his eyes a bit and looking around the blurry room. When his eyes grew adjusted to the new light Anthony was able to properly see the tower room he temporarily took residence in. Rolls of scrolls hung from the stone ceiling above, each dangling down from a thin string. On the walls were vines and some small sacks containing what appeared to be herbs. Anthony rolled onto his side to try and look around more only to have his eyes fall on Ze. He was sitting up on his feathery bed, shirtless and scribbling something on a scroll with a feather pen. Three long scars ran across his torso and near his shoulder was a recent scar in the shape of an arrowhead. His curly hair hung just below his ears, tangled and sticking up in places.

Ze stopped writing and began rubbing his face in tired frustration, ink smearing across his cheek and he got some ink on his nose. He licked his thumb and wiped the ink off. Anthony knew he shouldn’t be staring, but he struggled to stop. He still couldn’t stop seeing Steven in Ze and because of that his heart and brain were both dying to just see. For awhile, a couple of months to be accurate, Anthony has been struggling with the realization that he might be in love with his best friend and now here he was with a hand slipping through his thick lock of hair. Anthony watched as the curls slipped through his fingers, green eyes being freed from the curtain of brown hair that seemed too fluffy to be real. Ze began stretching his arms, slowly rolling his neck in circles until a few bones cracked and stress was released. By doing this process he had to lower the scroll and this allowed the two to make eye contact, Anthony’s ears going red and he noticed Ze’s cheeks flush pink.

Neither spoke, neither moved, and neither looked away. Anthony was able to see just how beautiful Ze’s green eyes were, how the sunlight made the green irises appear to be a softer hazel color. Unable to take the growing tension between them, Anthony hid his face behind a blanket and he heard a thump. Peeking up from the blanket’s edge, he saw the upper half of Ze’s body hang off the bed now, struggling to put his cloak on to cover his shirtless torso and end the awkwardness. Anthony watched Ze’s trousers slowly fall lower and lower on hips until the end of another scar appears. The sight was then covered when Ze succeeded to grabbing the cloak, sitting up and wrapping the cloak up. An awkward silence filled the space between the two, Anthony busying himself with the bandage around his wrist. Something outside howled loudly and Ze began grumbling to himself, getting up off the bed and striding to the window. Lowering the blanket from his face, Anthony watched him lean outside the window and begin looking around for the source of noise.

“Damn werewolves. They don’t ever shut up,” he mumbled to himself. The once open windows were now shut, sunlight still pouring in through the glass. Ze leaned against the cupboards and ran a hand through his mess of curls. “Did you sleep well?”

“Uh, yeah. Better than the last two nights of sleep I had,” Anthony joked, Ze obviously not understanding the inside joke and the elf felt his ears droop. “Nevermind… Hey, do you know how far the nearest town is?” Even though Anthony really wanted to stay he needed to find that old toad. If anyone could give him answers it would be that amphibian.

“It is about an hour or so walk East. Why? Your wounds are still not fully healed. I can see the blood on your bandages,” Ze turned and began pulling out a new roll of bandages, Anthony trying to hide his wrist. The brunette walked over and kneeled in front of Anthony, outstretching his hand. Hesitantly, Anthony handed over his wrist only to now realize that the tattoo on his arm was glowing dully. As Ze began to rewrap his wound Anthony searched outside the window, trying to find any trace of Warlocks or other danger only to find none. The tattoo didn’t seem to be hurting him any nor did the glow brighten so Anthony let his worries subside for the time being. “I do have to travel into town for some supplies if you wish to join, but I do not suggest you travel on from there. If you overexert yourself the wound may grow even worse.” When Ze finished he let go of Anthony’s wrist and checked the bandages around his ankles.

“Alright alright. Are we- uh- not going to talk about last night?” Questions were buzzing around his head, Anthony remembers the majority of their conversation but there was still bits and pieces that the blood loss had affected. Ze didn’t look up, just continuing his work. “You know like about myself, yourself, the beast-”

“Anthony, there is no beast. The toad that told you there would be a beast here was lying. The only ‘beasts’ here are the swamp plants that I myself have created or the few werewolves that take shelter and as long as you do not disturb them they are no harm. If the toad was speaking of the werewolves I highly suggest you do not engage them. With your wounds and your poor swordsmanship, one hit will send you into the dark abyss known as death.” Anthony bit back his tongue, not wanting to anger the tired man any more than he might have done already. It was obvious that the topic of werewolves was a sensitive topic.

“Wait up! You can’t leave me up here all alone,” Anthony slipped on his boot and scrambled after Ze, picking up his sword that was hanging off the bedpost. He didn’t bother putting his armor on, not wanting to go through the hassle. Ze just kept on walking, Anthony trailing behind. The two ventured outside the tower and through the swamp, Anthony sticking close behind Ze. “So… How did you get that venus fly trap to leave me alone yesterday?”

“The plants I’ve created myself throughout the years. I’m a herbalist who dabbles in a bit of magic,” Ze began to pull them through a thicket. “The plants here were not once alive. When I arrived here the plants were dead, the swamp a graveyard for wounded animals that would soon die out from their wounds. I took shelter in that tower and began dabbling around in herbs I found. They look to me as a father of some sorts I guess. It’s… Weird I know-”

“No, dude that’s awesome!” When Ze looked over his shoulder he saw how purely excited Anthony was and began to smile some. “How did you use the magic? I thought only gifted people could- I mean that’s how we perceived it back home. Writers always did have a weird way of thinking when it came to those things”

“Well, my sister was a gifted woman. She was born with a gift in magic, fixing anything we broke in our family and even being able to communicate with animals. In our times together she taught me a thing or two in magic.” Pride filled his voice, the two breaking from the thicket and begin to follow a fading dirt path. Anthony was glad to know that he fixed the tension, keeping the conversation off that sensitive topic. The conversation continued on from there, Anthony learning more about the world he was stranded on and learning a bit more about Ze.

When the two had reached town they bought some food and other necessities that Ze needed and began traveling back. By the time the two reached the rock gorge that dipped into the valley the sun was setting, dipping back behind the snowy mountains Anthony know knew separated the humans from the elves. Anthony carried what appeared to be potato sacks in his arms, hair now comfortably tied up by a red ribbon that he had bought. Ze was nibbling on a biscuit and was following the path when Anthony stopped. He fell to his knees and dropped the bags, grasping his arm.

“Shit, fuck!” Anthony screamed. Behind his sleeve came a bright blue glow from his tattoo that began burning his skin again, Ze by his side rolling up his sleeve and eyeing the tattoo.

“W- What is that? What’s wrong, Anthony? Anthony, what’s wrong?” Worry filled his voice, the brunette struggling to help him. Anthony gritted his teeth and locked his jaw, fingers curling into his palm. A loud explosion sounded off in front of them, birds flocking from the trees as loud screeches filled the air. Ze looked towards the gorge and his eyes widened, smoke reflecting off them. He began to rush towards the valley, Anthony reaching out to stop him only to retract his arm when the burn grew worse.

“Don’t…” He whispered, not wanting Ze to rush into unknown danger. But it was too late. He began slipping through the crease and then he was gone, rushing towards the valley. Anthony lowered his head and pressed his forehead against the grass, breathing heavily against the ground. “How…” He whispered, trying to figure out what was going on. From what he knew swamps don’t just catch on fire out of the blue unless- “The hunters. Oh no- no, Ze!” Anthony rushed after Ze, ignoring the blood that began seeping through the tattoo. Memories from the town meeting flashed through his head; the man in green, the fat man explaining the beast, their angry eyes, their sharpened arrows and readied bows. Then he started imagining Ze’s dead body, bloody with arrows sticking out while the plants he loved burned around him.

This pumped his blood and quickened his pace, Anthony ignoring the searing pain in his arm. When Anthony reached the valley everything was ablaze. Plants screeched in pain, ravens flew with burning feathers and smoking skin, the frogs in the ponds being boiled alive in the heated water- everything was chaos. Then there was the ancient tower that once stood in old beauty now crumbling. He saw a glimpse of Ze in the thicket, Anthony catching up and tackling him down to the ground behind a bush. Through the bush he could see the hunting party, screaming with raised torches.

“Come out you beast!” They chanted, Ze cursing into the mud. Anthony forcefully held him down, noticing a few people wearing hoods in the party. He also saw the stranger from the town and his wolf, tied up and beaten near the back of the party. The stranger’s head was lowered, bound hands resting on the white wolf’s head to stroke his fur. The sight made Anthony’s stomach churn.

“Ze… Ze, we have… We have to go,” more blood dripped down his arm, the tattoo fiercely glowing against his arm. He began to cough from the growing amount of smoke around them, flames dangerously getting closer. Ze struggled more at his words, Anthony keeping his grip on his arms. “Please, Ze we have to go. If I let you go and we try to attack we’ll be outnumbered- killed even! We can’t win this.” He was thankful to feel Ze relax, pressing the side of his face into the mud.

“Dammit…” He whispered and Anthony noticed he was crying. “I let them die… all the plants… all the memories… everything in that tower… dammit…” Ze pushed his face off the ground and began getting up, Anthony wrapping an arm around his shoulders to help him. He leaned over and wiped some tears from his dirty cheeks, Ze smiling a bit in painful gratitude.

“Hey! Who’s over there!” One of the huntsmen called out towards the two, Anthony tightening his grip around Ze’s shoulders. He began to reach for his sword, ignoring the pain in his arm. Anthony turned around to attack only to watch the party being split by the freed wolf, the stranger kneeling on the ground with a bow in hand. Bruises lined the middle of throat and blood rolled down the side of his face, but there was a look of anger and determination on his face. Men fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out of their head or knee that they struggled to remove only to get their throat ripped open by the wolf. The majority of them survived and began attacking back, the stranger rushing towards Ze and Anthony.

“Fucking run!” He screamed towards them, his yellow tinted eyes blazing with a rush of excitement. Ze grabbed Anthony’s hand and began leading him through the thicket, the stranger on their tail. Once and awhile he’d turn around and shoot an arrow, the white wolf catching up with them. Its mouth was dripping red with the blood of men and its paws streaked red across the burning grass. When they reached the gorge Anthony was pushed forward, Ze close behind without letting go of his hand. The three stumbled out into the open, the stranger whistling loudly. “Mun Mun! Come on, let’s go!” Soon enough the white wolf slipped through as well, the stranger starting to grab any fallen branches or rocks he could find that could block up the crack. Anthony picked up one of the fallen sacks, remembering that his armor was back in the tower and cursing. “Follow me.” The stranger took lead, Anthony and Ze following like they were told.

When the two stopped running in the forest both moons were in the sky, stars peeking out. Ze silently sat on a fallen log, the stranger dumping logs and sticks into a small pile. He began to search for flint, but Ze leaned forward and blew against the pile that set it ablaze.

“Who are you?” Ze whispered harshly out to the beaten stranger who stopped rubbing blood off his face, Anthony cradling his wounded arm. “Why did they set the swamp on fire? Why were they there? What the hell is going on!” That’s when Anthony realized that once again tears were slipping down Ze’s cheeks, the elf leaning over to grab his hand and try to calm him down. Ze slammed his fist down on the log, glaring over the small fire. The wolf began to growl, lips pulling back into a loud snarl that was shushed by the stranger who gently placed his hands on the wolf’s snout.

“My name is Smarticus, but I go by the name of Smarty. I am technically the rightful heir to the human throne, but I ran from home when I was young so I was deemed dead and my step-brother took my place. This right here is Mun Mun, my partner in crime,” Smarty leaned down to press his nose against Mun Mun’s. “Those people are a hunting party I’ve been after since their last burning. They hunt werewolves and in the process destroy. I’ve seen them destroy forests and even villages just to kill one werewolf. As for werewolves, I’ve seen them kill at least five, each one removed of their head and placed on a stake as a warning to others. I was trying to stop them back in town, but they ridiculed me in front of the town and took me as prisoner afterward. I’m… Sorry about your home,” he lowered his head, the wolf whining pitifully against Smarty’s cheek. “I… I really tried to stop them, but it was hard to get free. I’m not the best against rope and they know how to tie knots. I only got out because you guys distracted them which allowed me to rip the rope on an arrowhead.”

“It’s ok...” Ze mumbled out, eyes downcast to the swaying grass below. His grip against Anthony’s hand loosened until the grip broke. “I say we camp out here for the night. Anthony, you got a sack right?” Anthony reached over the log and hauled the sack over, opening up and tossing an apple to Smarty. “Smarty, I thank you for your efforts in aiding us.” Smarty just smiled and caught the apple with both hands, landing on his back while Mun Mun sat next to him.

“Your welcome! What're your names? I haven’t seen a High Elf in these parts in a long time. Most High Elves are in the war against the Night Elves.” The human commented in between taking bites, sitting Indian style on the grass.

“I’m Anthony and this is-”

“My name is Ze. I’m going to take a nap. We should start moving tomorrow morning so they don’t find us.” Ze rolled off the log and laid on the grass with his back turned to them both.

“That’s a good idea.” Smarty nodded, lying back next to his pet wolf. Anthony was left sitting up, unable to sleep after all that had happened. As he sat he noticed Ze was still awake even though Smarty had dozed off, the brunette staring out into the darkness of the forest.

“Ze, buddy you okay?” Anthony peered over the log, noticing the empty look in his green eyes.

“They… Destroyed everything I had,” Ze mumbled softly, the dirt stains on his face appearing more prominently in the moonlight that shined down on them. “In that tower was the last remains of my sister; her magic books. She gave me them as a birthday gift. All those plants I created were from her help and now those are gone as well. Everything is just gone. They have also killed so many werewolves, so many innocent people who couldn’t control their transformations. I’m… I’m going to kill them if I ever see them again.” The tattoo on Anthony’s arm began to glow dully, the elf covering his arm to hide the glow. He began to rub blood off his arm, taking off his bandages and enduring the pain. If he was going to survive out here he had to be strong.

“I might have met only hours ago and I might not know much about what happened to your family, but I know what death is like. If we ever come across them again then we’ll both kill them,” Anthony noticed the edges of Ze’s lips curl up slightly, the brunette closing his eyes and sighing. He leaned over the log to grab an apple for himself, intercepted by Ze who had grabbed his hand. The brunette intertwined their fingers and gave it a squeeze.

“Thank you.” He whispered, glancing over to Anthony and there was a spark in his green eyes once again. Ze rolled back over, freed Anthony’s hand, and closed his eyes to fall asleep. Anthony waited a bit, checking to make sure he was asleep and sighed loudly. His fingers curled into where his heart would be, heart pounding.

“Damn, I’m still in deep.”


	4. Chapter 4

After a long day of discussion, the three decided to journey out to the Elven territory, Smarty having Night Elf friends who might possibly be able to help them out in their predicament and Anthony having unanswered questions. They decided that there they’d go their separate ways. Now, after two nights and three days, the three were traveling through a cloudy canyon, pressed up against the rocky walls and trying not to fall. All three held hands so that if one fell the other two could help them stay up, Anthony at the front and Smarty at the back with Ze in the middle. A few pebbles dropped down and none could hear when they hit the bottom, the pebbles just making an unending echo as they banged against rocks and protruding roots. The canyon soon began to open up more into a withered forest of burnt down trees and dying planets. Smarty left with his wolf to collect firewood while Ze laid himself down on the rocks. 

When Smarty came back they started a fire and sat on their own respectful sides, the fire reflecting in all six eyes in different ways. It was a thoughtful night for them all, each with their own problems weighing down their shoulders. Anthony kept thinking about his tattoo and the meaning for it, running his fingers over the eye and making sure none of the other two could see. Memories of the old toad from day one came to him and he remembered how she called the tattoo ‘a gift from the gods’ even though all it has brought was pain. He tugged down his sleeve to hide the tattoo and picked up his sword, trying to read the engraved words. Not once had there been a use for the sword that had been weighing him down this whole time, yet there was scratches and scars along the hilt and blade as if it had been used in previous battles or wars.

He pricked his thumb on the sword, disappointed when nothing exciting or magical happened. What was magical was how Ze began to wave his hand over the dirt next to him, a few blades of grass sprouting out and brushing against his dirty palm. Anthony moved over to Ze’s spot by the fire to feel the sprouting blades, surprised at how real and alive they were. Smarty tossed some more wood onto the fire and began to get comfortable with his wolf, the two curling around each in a ball and falling asleep. Ze, now sitting up, stared into the fire wordlessly and there was a dark look in his eyes. Anthony could feel his tattoo beginning to sting again, tugging his sleeve down to hide the dull glow.

“Everything alright, Ze?” He asked cautiously, careful not to step on any nerves. Ever since the tower burned Ze hadn’t been the same. He was snappish, quieter, and would go to bed earlier without eating. Anthony knew that whenever Steven did this something wrong was going on either emotionally, physically, or mentally. Knowing this only fueled his worries till the point that he couldn’t stay silent any longer. “You’ve been acting strange-”

“I’m fine.” Ze snapped, throwing a few sticks into the fire. The flames burned brighter now, eating up the thrown food and growling aggressively for more. For a second Anthony wondered if he’d be thrown into that fire out of his friend’s anger. If he was he didn’t mind as long as it helped him.

“No, you are not fine. You don’t act like this-”

“And how would you know? You’ve only known me a day and yet you act like you’ve known me for years!” His voice was higher now and Anthony noticed that the withered tree branches around them began to swish. He lowered his voice when he remembered Smarty was there, arms wrapping around himself in a loose self-hug. “You don’t know a thing about me.” A few curls of his fell over his eyes, Ze not bothering to move them away like he usually would.

“You’re right, I don’t. But I want to and when people I want to get close with are in pain it’s not something I can stand by and watch. You are hurting and I want to know why. You don’t have to go into your whole life story with me just yet, but don’t keep everything bottled up or else you’ll explode and make decisions you’ll regret later on. I should know,” Anthony rubbed his neck and sighed, leaning forward so that his arms rested on his knees. “One time when my buddy Steven was visiting we got into a fight. My family had been getting on my case about finally settling down with a girl and I was also having financial problems. I hadn’t told anyone, so when he came over and we were watching a movie together I finally just broke. I flat out cried and he was trying to figure out what was wrong and I snapped and said some things no one should ever say, but I realized what I had done wrong and apologized to him quickly. After that I began opening my feelings up to him more, telling him my problems no matter what time it was and things have been going well.” He too was now eyeing the fire as if it was the one he was speaking with. The flames flickered in response, listening to his sob story.

“My… sister used to live in that tower,” Ze began speaking after some time, the fire creating a warm glow on his face. His face was dirty from all the traveling they had done, curls no longer fluffy and now hanging on his head in straighter strands that didn’t suit him. What made Anthony’s heart drop was the look in Ze’s eyes, the way his green irises no longer shined with pure emotions and now were tainted with despair. “Magic was always known for its danger, yet our family never believed it because we have been known for having magic blood. My sister was practicing a few spells in our house, but things got out of control and she started a fire that burned my mother’s arm. To punish herself and to keep us out of harm’s way, she moved into the tower to practice her magic in solitude. I, however, went against my parents and sister’s wishes and visited for years until they just accepted it. Some nights we would sit by the windowsill sharing a blanket and she’d map out the stars for me or we’d sketch out the scenery in front of us and compare drawings,” he began to smile, his eyes glossing over. “When she… Died I moved into that tower to forever be surrounded by her memories. I guess everything is lost one day.” Tears began to roll down his cheeks.

“Ze, I’m- I’m so sorry,” Anthony quickly scooted over and wrapped his arms around Ze, the human resting his head on his shoulder and sniffing. “Family and friend deaths are never any fun.” He mumbled against his curls, pressing his head against Ze’s hair as he cried against his shoulder.

“Tell… Tell me more about your world…” Ze whispered, Anthony rubbing circles into his shoulder and began thinking.

“This... one day I took my friends out ice skating,” he could hear the brunette’s breathing begin evening out. “I fell once- okay, maybe twice, but Anthony fell even more and so did John. Steven is Canadian so he was able to like skate past us easily, but after some time we got the hang of things and could catch up. The hardest thing according to John and Anthony is ‘staying up’ which I agree with,” Ze chuckled a bit, the two staring out into the fire. When Anthony looked down he was glad to see Ze was no longer crying. His eyes were still glossy and both cheeks red except he was now smiling now. “Before that, we had gone and gotten pizza. Steven’s eyes were so big when he saw how large a New York pizza is-”

“How big is this pizza?” He cleared his throat, struggling to make his voice clear and not sound broken.

“Oh, dude, it’s fucking huge,” Anthony held his out arms in exaggeration, glad to just see Ze smile and laugh. “John and I were able to eat a few because we live in New York and I used to get the pizza like all the time, but the other two struggled to even eat one. Then don’t get me started on that night. Anthony snores like the devil and John fucking drools and it got on my pillow.”

“Ew.” 

“Ew is right.” Anthony agreed and fell silent, his story finished. The memories of those few days came flooding back and now he felt like crying, realization that he may never see his friends again now hitting him. Ze noticed his change in demeanor and grabbed his hand to soothe him. Closing his eyes, Anthony zeroed on their held hands and the warmth it brought him. Anthony didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he did know when he woke up and it was to a knife at his throat and rope around his wrists. He began to shift around in the rope, keeping his eyes slightly closed to appear asleep.

The fire had been put out and across it was Ze and Smarty, bound as well. Ze’s nose was bleeding and Smarty had a black eye. Hunters stood around the campsite, searching through the ashes and making sure no one was going to ambush them. Anthony noticed that not too far away laid his sword, hidden under a pile of sticks and gray leaves. In the middle stood their leader who held a crumpled wanted poster, Anthony’s face drawn on it with a large gold reward for his capture.

“What do we do with these two?” One of the hunters tapped Smarty’s face with his bow, Smarty unable to attack back due to the rope that held his wrists together. Anthony began to loosen the rope around his wrists, moving quietly to not be caught doing so.

“Get rid of them. I don’t need them coming after us-” that’s when Anthony saw a tree root emerge from the ground, tying itself one of the hunter’s ankles and tripping him. More roots emerged and began to wrap around him, Ze standing and headbutting the man who held him captive. Smarty elbowed the closest hunter to him in the stomach and the two freed themselves with the dropped knives, Anthony struggling to undo the knot. It was becoming looser and looser but was not setting him free. Chaos broke out on the site and Smarty whistled loudly, dodging a knife thrown his way. Mun Mun rushed out from the bushes howling, launching himself right into a man’s chest and ripping out his throat with easy when they hit the ground. In desperation, Anthony rushed over for his sword and sliced the rope with the blade, turning around just in time for a knife to slam into the ground by his head. Over him stood the leader, struggling to get his knife out from the dirt. “You aren’t getting away that easily!”

Quickly, Anthony took his sword up and rolled away. When he rolled onto his back his sword was stabbed right into the leader’s stomach, knife making a cut into the side of Anthony’s face as it dropped to the ground. The falling blood seemed into the engraved wording and began to glow blue. He watched as the corpse began to freeze over and when the whole thing was frozen Anthony retracted his sword. Cracks etched into the frost and when Anthony touched his cheek the ice broke, falling into tiny flakes that fell around him. He fell flat on his back and breathed heavily, the realization that he just killed someone for the first time settling in. Soon enough Ze was by his side, helping him stand while Smarty tried to fend off the hunters that began outnumbered them all. 

A switch flipped in Anthony’s head and for him, everything went red. Energy from the sword pumped itself through his veins, channeling his inner anger. Anthony began to run towards the fire, watching the hallucinated orange and red flames beg for him to come near. The sword made contact with a hunter who stood in his way and Anthony screamed in anger, the hunter freezing over instantly and falling to the ground. He spun the sword around above his head and slammed it down into the ashes, watching the flames sizzle out and die when in reality a rumble was sent off from the source of contact. Dust, cinders, and ash shot upwards into the air as the grass became glazed, trees iced and dripping with sharp icicles, and the hunters all were frozen instantly without a chance of escape. Smarty and Ze stood in this icy wonderland wide-eyed, Smarty dropping his bow and Ze struggling to reach Anthony who was kneeled in the middle. He was panting heavily, the sword no longer glowing and the energy completely drained from his body. Ze reached Anthony and kneeled beside him, tightly gripping his arm and panting with scraps along his cheeks from his falls.

“Are you okay?” There was worry written all over Ze’s face and it was obvious he only cared about Anthony’s well-being and not what he did. Anthony curled his lips up into a weak smile, turning to face the brunette.

“No…” He whispered and fell forward, head hitting his shoulder and eyes closing in pain. Everything was spinning now, the trees become blurry specks in the distance. “Don’t let go.” Anthony mumbled, whispering the one thing he wished he told Steven all those months ago on the ice rink. For a split second, he was there again, laughing as they skated around hand-in-hand.

“I won’t, I promise,” Anthony didn’t even realize when Ze started holding his hand, begging for him to stay awake in fear that he may never wake up again. But Anthony couldn’t help the weariness that came over him as black dots crept into his vision. “Anthony, stay with me.” He sighed and fell limp in Ze’s arms, letting the darkness take over and put his body to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The trees seemed to draw in closer and closer with every movement Anthony made, the elf weakly sitting upright and picking grass out of his long hair. His memories from the day before were fuzzy and the bright ray of two suns beaming down on him made his thoughts jumbled. Neither Smarty or Ze were anywhere nearby, Anthony being forced to try and gather his memories atop a bed of yellow petal flowers. He noticed his sword was leaning against a tree trunk, the blade half covered with dry blood. Careful not to overexert himself, Anthony got up from the flower bed and picked up his sword. He began to stumble through the sky covered forest, trying to find his bearings and maybe stumble upon some passive people who might be able to help him. The two suns above gave little help to the lost elf who tried maneuvering through this thick forest of indigo leaves and ancient trunks that held four-eyed squirrels, sometimes tripping over protruding roots or crawling under thorny bushes that pricked his skin.

Anthony found that the tightly knit forest began to open up and soon stumbled out into a valley of tall grass, ancient stone ruins buried into the dirt below and pieces sticking out. He walked around the odd ruin site, running his fingers over the cracked stone that still kept intact. Using his sword, Anthony began to hack the long grass away so he could keep walking and see what was in front of him. When his sword hit a stone the impact made him drop the weapon, staring up at the ancient gazebo in front of him. Hushed whispers said by multiple voices seeped into his head and he was beckoned closer. Almost as if he was in a trace, Anthony listened and took one step at a time. Anthony entered the gazebo and eyed the fountain in the middle that was overfilled with clear water. When he stepped closer the water would glow brighter, it’s glow becoming brighter with each step he took. The elf peering into the bowl and wasn’t surprised to find himself staring at his own reflection.

He ran his fingers over the cuts that lined his face, trying to rub off any dirt smears he found. The whispers grew louder in his head and the fountain’s water turned to gold, Anthony dipping his hands into the water. With both hands cupped, his raised them out of the water and watched the drops slip through the creases of his hand. Anthony let the water fall back into the fountain and tried to ignore the loud whispers in his head, begging him to take a sip from the bowl. The High Elf stopped himself from drinking when he saw a beast in the golden water, the red glowing eyes causing him to step back.

“What the fuck-” he stopped talking and tensed when something sharp pressed against his neck from behind him.

“Mana are tye doing símen, High Elf?” The stranger spoke in a completely unknown language to Anthony, leading him away from the fountain. When he was spun around Anthony noticed that the stranger was a Night Elf, shorter than he by a few inches with dark green and blue paint smeared across his face. In his left hand was a small dagger fit for protection when needed, a long wooden staff adorned with a white crystal in his right hand.

“I can’t understand you,” Anthony replied only to fall silent when the dagger’s blade was moved back to his neck. He had grown used to this and was now took a mental note to let his guard down again. “Do you know English?”

“Tye have i ticse -o a Warlock, whime are tye -esse sí ettele?” He raised his voice now, gesturing towards Anthony’s tattoo and dropped the dagger. Anthony rubbed his wrist, hoping that his pleas had gotten through only to groan with the staff was slammed against his stomach. Falling to his knees and clutching his stomach in pain, Anthony forced his chin up and felt the dagger’s blade on his neck again. He noticed that on the dagger had etched in words just like his sword, glowing a soft yellow.

“Dude, calm down. I mean no harm,” Anthony struggled to try and convince this elf that he was friendly, wincing when he felt the blade cut into his skin. He noticed that his sword still laid on the grass below the gazebo, Anthony glancing upwards towards the elf. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Yet tye túl símen anyways,” the elf pulled the dagger away to stab him only for Anthony to make his move, grabbing his wrist and pushing them both onto the stone floor. Both wrestled for the dagger, the staff being dropped and slid away. “Ni esta- upon i kal ana aid me -esse mime dire maure.” Anthony noticed the crystal begin to glow and in those few seconds of temporary blindness, he was pushed off. Rolling off the gazebo, he hit the grass awkwardly on his side and reached for his sword. The Night Elf had hopped down and the two weapons clashed, Anthony heavily panting with squinting eyes while the Night Elf was growling.

“We can stop this now!” He yelled, kicking the elf in the stomach and getting off the grass. The elf, recovering quickly, charged forward and chanted again so that more light glowed from the staff. When Anthony slammed his sword against the staff he noticed the etched in words begin to glow, the staff freezing up and then the ice broke. The crystal was brighter than the two suns above, blinding Anthony who stumbled back when ribbons of light shot out from the crystal and began cutting him with knife-like edges.

“Tye should had never túl símen.” Anthony lifted both arms up and shielded his face, the light tying around his wrists. The elf charged forward and knocked him down, the staff being pressed against his throat. Black dots began creeping into his vision, Anthony closing his eyes and trying to push the staff off his neck. He was able to breathe properly again when the staff was removed. Anthony opened his eyes just in time to see Smarty tackle the Night Elf off Anthony, the two rolling around in the grass. Their fighting was stopped when Mun Mun came running over, howling loudly and standing by the two. Anthony noticed how the majority of Smarty’s face was painted over and he wore a hood up his head, the human now straddling the Night elf down with an arrow aimed for his head. Next to him was Mun Mun, crouched low and growling loudly.

“Call off the light,” Smarty order threateningly, the elf whispering something under his breath. The golden ribbons that had been swirling Anthony now gone and the wolf nudging his leg. “What happened here?” He glanced over towards Anthony in worry, attention being brought back to their attacker when he spoke.

“I warned him to not come near,” the elf spoke in English now, his accent thick with each word. “Warlocks are forbidden from these parts after the destruction of Lyledell and High Elves are not welcome here.”

“I’m not a Warlock!” Anthony exclaimed, not able to refute the ‘High Elf’ part because physically he was one. “Where did you even get that idea?”

“The tattoo on your arm explains it all.” Anthony rubbed his wrist again, Smarty standing now and grabbing the Night Elf by his tunic. He forced him up from the grass, holding him away and keeping his grip in case he tried to run.

“What tattoo?” The human raised his head up now and faced Anthony who took a step back, hand covering the mark on his wrist. “Anthony?”

“What kind of name is that?” Now both were growing suspicious of Anthony took another step back, quickly glancing over his shoulder. He tensed when he saw the long grass blades start moving unnaturally, relaxing when Ze came stumbling out. The herbalist tugged his cloak free from some clinging sticks, struggling to balance some herbs in his other hand. When he saw Anthony his lips curled up into a big smile, rushing forward and tackling him to the floor. “I’m just…” The Night Elf awkwardly looked away, Smarty looking away as well.

“You're ok!” Ze explained, tightening his grip on Anthony’s clothes. He laughed, trying to ignore the pain in his back from the impact.

“I’m ok! I think,” Anthony smiled when he heard Ze laugh back, the two glad to finally be reunited. “What did I miss when I fell asleep?” When he spoke again Ze fell silent, Smarty looking back over towards them again.

“We should catch you up on things,” Smarty led the Night Elf back up the gazebo, stumbling back when he heard the whispers. “What the hell?”

“Lar- mime óma. Túl at- ana i kal,” the elf whispered and silenced the other whispers, Anthony watching a few blue wisps rise out from the fountain and slip into his crystal adorned staff. Both suns in the sky started to dip down behind the mountains, Anthony sitting himself down beside Ze on the gazebo edge while Smarty kept close to the elf. “Where is it that you come from?”

“We should be questioning you first,” Anthony avoided the question sent his way, protectively holding his marked arm to his chest. “Who are you? What did you attack me if you could understand me?” The elf shot him a glare and glanced over towards Smarty who only tightened his grip on his bow, glancing over towards Mun Mun who growled.

“I am Galm; the last Night Elvish priest in these lands,” Galm introduced himself nonchalantly, ignoring the confused and surprised stares he was given. “I attacked you because High Elves are known for their lies. My people are risking their lives in your sun burned lands for peace, yet you come here believing that I will not attack you.” He huffed, pushing Smarty’s arrow away from his head and rolling his neck around.

“Priest?” Ze spoke up now, both eyes focused on the piled together leaves in his hands. Anthony peeked over and blinked when he noticed a silver flower growing out from the pile, Ze gently running his fingers over the silver petal.

“I’m more of a medium now. After the priesthood fell I’ve been wandering these lands finding corrupted spirits who were murdered in cold blood. They can no longer pass onto the afterlife and, out of rage, haunt passing travelers. I come to these village ruins and keep the spirits company, easing their troubled souls and sometimes I witness a few spirits who pass on,” a wisp rose out of the stone, hovering in front of Galm’s face. The priest reached up and whispered something towards the wisp who whispered back, swirling around his hand. “When there are shrines like these the spirits tend to try and lure others into a false sense of security, leading them towards the golden fountain and showing them what they desire then poisoning them with the water,” Anthony awkwardly coughed when he learned the information about the fountain. “What did you see in the water?”

“Nothing.” Anthony lied quickly, noticing their suspicious stares and turned to Ze for help. Ze only glanced back, turning his head away and leaving Anthony on his own.

“We can’t leave them in the dark any longer.” Ze whispered towards Anthony, tugging the cloak around his body more.

“I… Alright… Alright,” Anthony nodded slowly, glancing up towards the two who were giving him their full attention. He opened his mouth to speak again only for his tattoo to begin glowing, catching everyone’s stare. Getting to his feet, Anthony slowly walked around the shrine until he found which direction held the danger; East. “There is something coming,” when he spoke an explosion erupted in the distance, the wisps rising out from the shrine and swirling around in fear. “We should probably start moving. I can explain things on the move.”

“Follow me. I know the quickest way out from here.” Galm said quickly, grabbing his staff from the stone and jumping down. From where Anthony entered he could see a group of hooded people, picking his sword up from the floor and following Ze through the grass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;
> 
> Mana are tye doing símen: What are you doing here, High Elf?
> 
> Tye have i ticse -o a Warlock, whime are tye -esse sí ettele?: You have the mark of a Warlock, why are you in these lands?
> 
> Yet tye túl símen anyways: Yet you come here anyways
> 
> Ni esta- upon i kal ana aid me -esse mime dire maure: I call upon the light to aid me in my dire need
> 
> Tye should had never túl símen: You should had never come here
> 
> Lar- mime óma. Túl at- ana i kal: Hear my voice... Come back to the light


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait. school's ending and such, but now that things are closing up updates should start becoming frequent :)

“How much farther?” Anthony asked over the raging fires, slamming his sword down into another shadow creature that melted into an oozing puddle. Beside him Smarty was firing arrows nonstop, unsheathing a knife whenever a creature came close and slashing through it’s neck. Galm was busy hacking through the long grass with Ze, the two making sure their path ahead was clear while the other two made sure no one was coming from behind. Each Warlock that was currently attacking summoned more and more creatures that came sprinting towards them, the field set ablaze with purple flames and smoke rising up into the evening sky. Anthony winced when a wisp went through his face, the image of a crying mother and child appearing before fading out from his vision.

“It’s clear! Let’s go!” Galm called back, Smarty quickly saving Anthony from a back attacking creature then whistling. Mun Mun came jumping through the burning stalks, pouncing past his owner and following Galm who was already running. Once Smarty started leaving Anthony retreated as well, Ze running beside him. The shadow creatures followed, burning the ground wherever they stepped and claws digging into the dirt. “What are you?” The Night Elf slowed down and covered their retreat with a light barrier, the following creatures rushing into said barrier and being temporarily stunned. They paused by the barrier, slinking around and searching for a way around.

“My name is Anthony! I’m a human and come from this place called Earth- as crazy as this sounds- I woke up in this body not long ago! I don’t know why anything here is trying to kill me because the majority of my time here has been spent getting my ass kicked, being on the run, and sleeping. I haven’t even had time to adjust!” He replied quickly, hopping over a fallen log and pushing through some branches into the indigo colored forest. Constantly he could feel Ze bumping shoulders with him, the herbalist struggling to keep up with everyone. When he began slowing down Anthony reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along. “If you don’t believe me ask Ze!” Once Anthony said this all questions were now turned towards his friend, Ze falling silent in pure surprise. Another barrier was placed from where they came, blocking out a few more creatures that came running.

Before anything could continue any longer Anthony’s arm began burning, the man falling to his knees and wincing in pain. Shakily, he lifted his arm up and watched blood trickle down from the glowing tattoo. Anthony glanced upwards and was shocked to find Smarty and Galm waiting, Galm suspiciously eyeing him while Smarty stared in worry. Ze was by his side, reaching out to feel the tattoo only to pause inches before contact and pulled his hand back. He watched the hunter turn and whisper something towards the priest who only stormed over, kneeling down on the ground in front of him and gesturing towards his arm. Trusting Galm, Anthony held his arm out and watched the staff begin to glow as the crystal gently press against the tattoo.

“Stay still. The tattoo itself is corrupted with dark magic. I’m guessing that’s how they keep finding you,” he spoke quickly, eyeing over Anthony’s shoulder towards the burning field they ran from. The ribbons of light from before dipped down into his bleeding wound, Anthony watching the glow soften, the blood stop falling, and the pain stop. Galm stood up helping Anthony up as well, Mun Mun howling loudly to gain their attention. “They’re retreating?” After hearing this Anthony turned, rushing back towards the field. He stood up on a fallen log and peered over all the burning grass, watching the hooded group flee the scene. One turned back and faced him, their face hidden by a shadow creature that was dipping into their outstretched hand. That was all Anthony could see before the Warlocks all left, disappearing in the thicket.

“We should start moving again. I found my friend in a village and she told me we’re allowed in.” Smarty sheathed his dagger and started leading them through the forest, Anthony stepping down from the log and following the hunter. Ze fell in step with him, oddly quiet and preoccupied with his sleeves. Before Anthony could question his odd behavior the elf was stopped when some of his long hair slipped down into his face. 

“Do you think they’ll have a barber there?” Ze gave him a questioning look. “You know someone to cut my hair. It keeps getting in my goddamn face and I’m not a big fan of long hair.” He held the dirty ribbon in his mouth and let his hair fall, holding it up.

“I personally think you look nice. Maybe shorten it just a bit, but with your elvish appearance the long hair just fits,” Ze gave him a tired smile causing Anthony’s cheeks to flush, using one hand to take the ribbon and retie his hair back up high. When a few strands slipped back over his eyes Anthony settled with tucking them behind his ear, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Mine on the other hand.” To prove his point Ze shook his head around, the curls flying everywhere and tangling up easily. When he raised his head all his hair had fallen forward making him appear like a shaggy dog. 

This made the High Elf laugh, Smarty himself sharing a few chuckles as everyone judged their own haircuts. The only one who didn’t seem to mind their hair was Galm until Smarty mentioned ‘you’d look nice with short hair’ and Anthony noticed the Night Elf grow quiet, running his fingers through the naturally black strands. 

“We could probably all take a bath as well. Especially Smarty.” Anthony added on, snorting in laughter when Smarty looked over his shoulder towards him.

“Rude,” Smarty quickly replied. “Just because I lived in the wild doesn’t mean I smell bad.”

“It definitely means you smell bad.” Galm agreed causing Anthony to start laughing, even more, Mun Mun eyeing the group with a tail lashing beside his owner. Smarty led them down a hill, Anthony noticing the faint glow of lanterns in the distant.

“We're almost there! Come on!” He quickly changed the topic and started rushing down the hill with his wolf running beside him, leaves picked up from them both. Ze followed just as fast, quickly catching up and the started to race. It was a bit surprising when Galm passed Anthony, glancing behind his shoulder and giving him a proud smirk while he started running. Anthony blinked and for a few seconds, he was back home watching as his other friends raced down a hill together. When Ze turned around reality settled in on Anthony, watching as the herbalist gestured for him to follow before rushing after Mun Mun.

“I’m coming I’m coming!” A smile tugged at his lips and he tightened his grip on the sword, rushing after the rest. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.


End file.
